The murals went up in 2013, a year before the Ed Paschke Art Center opened nearby at 5415 W. Higgins Ave.
Unlike typical murals, these weren’t done in paint. Rather, Paschke’s artwork was photographed and converted to a 3M film that was adhered in sections to the viaduct’s walls.
The same process also was used to create a sprawling mural of Paschke’s “Luna Negra” painting on the exterior of the art center.
The center aims “to preserve and provide public access to the work of the legendary Ed Paschke,” a Chicago native who died in 2004 at 65, and “to serve as an educational resource . . . and to function as an accessible platform for artists to showcase their work.”
Paschke’s work was known for its neon colors and masklike faces and his distinctive take on Pop Art.
The art center named for him is slated for a $4 million renovation, to be completed in 2024, that, among other improvements, will expand its interior exhibition space, according to co-founder Vesna K. Stelcer.
